25 Days of Metal Day 18: Non-single song the Year: Within Temptation - "Covered by Roses"

Rating: 9/10 Covered by roses When this dance is over We all know our beauty will die. This song is so amazing but I really don't know what to say, everything about I just love so much, the verses are amazing, the chorus is beyond amazing, the instrumentals are amazing, the guitar solo is amazing, even the video which was released recently release with their live DVD is amazing, maybe I'll figure out something more to say before my top 5 songs of the year next week, but this song is just fucking amazing.

25 Days of Metal Day 17: Single of the Year: Sonata Arctica - "The Wolves Die Young"

Rating: 9/10 This is the day when the wolves die young They'll never see a new midnight sun The time has come to announce winners! Holy shit I am in love with this song, having listened it to a more and thought about it a bit and the song tells a really interesting, if a bit generic story which made me appreciate it even more, honestly I was a bit disappointed with the general quality of the singes released this year, but this one was certainly excellent.

25 Days of Metal Day 16: Album of the Year Nominations #4: Edguy- "Space Police: Defenders of the Crown"

Rating: ?/10 I always really liked Edguy and this album is no exception, they generally produce really solid power metal with somewhat of a comedic twist, and this album is no exception, normally Tobias Sammet has incredibly spot on vocals, and this album is no exception. Basically this album is more of the same Edguy format and is really solid for it since they are really good at what they do. See also: Edguy - "Love Tyger"

25 Days of Metal Day 15: Album of the Year Nominations #3: Sabaton - "Heroes"

Rating: ?/10 I really like Sabaton, and this album is no exception, Sabaton consistently deliver high quality songs about people, battles, and events from historical wars which as someone who is really interested in military history is excellent for me. This album focuses specifically on individuals, mostly from World War II. Although I don't like the individual tracks as much as some other albums, this album really impressed me since every single track is super good. See also: Sabaton - "Night Witches" Sabaton - "Resist and Bite"

25 Days of Metal Day 14: Album of the Year Nominations #2: Sonata Arctica - "Pariah's Child"

Rating: ?/10 This album was really interesting for me, Sonata Arctica's was generally disliked and they have been really moving away from their older heavier style and a lot of people don't like it. Personally I'm fairly neutral towards it, but I think album came out really and had a lot of really fun songs. I wasn't expecting a whole lot coming into it and it turned out really solid with a lot of really unique ideas and a wide variety of songs. See also: Sonata Arctica - "The Wolves Die Young"

25 Days of Metal Day 13: Album of the Year Nominations #1: Within Temptation - "Hydra"

Rating: ?/10 Obviously this is going to be here considering I four songs from this album have been nominated. This album was released right the beginning of the year and I really loved it then and I still love it now. Following up to their excellent album from last year, Within Temptation have quickly become one of my favorite bands. The songs are generally fairly simple but just really solid. Also they did quite a few colabs with several really high quality musicians, all of which turned out excellent. See also: Within Temptation - "Paradise (What About Us?)" Within Temptation - "And We Run" Within Temptation - "Covered By Roses" Within Temptation - "Silver Moonlight" Within Temptation - "Whole World Is Watching"

25 Days of Metal Day 12: Music Video of the Year Nominations #4: Hammerfall - "Hector's Hymn"

Rating: ?/10 Hammer high to the sky Follow the warrior and the king Call of Hector's Hymn This video is really interesting and unique, I really like the combination of the band playing with the comiclike almost pop-up-booklike style for this song and I think it fits really well. I think they nailed the visuals and this song is really good too.

25 Days of Metal Day 11: Music Video of the Year Nominations #3: Within Temptation - "Whole World is Watching" ft. Dave Pirner

Rating: ?/10 What are you waiting for? What are you fighting for? Cause time's always slipping away. The whole world is watching. There are actually two versions of this song featuring different male vocalists, but this is the version used on the album and the version I like better. The song and video are very inspirational about doing your best and believing you can accomplish anything.

25 Days of Metal Day 10: Music Video of the Year Nominations #2: Epica - "Victims of Contingency"

Rating: ?/10 If you blame all your failures on someone else, without any remorse, if you don't face the weakness of your own self, you will take the same course. Whoops, I missed a day because I was busy with finals so two posts today! Anyways, when I saw this video it really caught my eye, I'm a super big fan of the song, but the music video is really interesting. A song about taking responsibility for your actions and the video represents that well.

25 Days of Metal Day[9]: Music Video of the Year Nominations #1: Edguy - "Love Tyger"

Rating: ?/10 They call me Love T-T-Tyger I'm gonna save your soul - never mine I don't even know, this song and video are so incredibly 80's, but I kinda like it, I don't really know what to say, it certainly wasn't what I was expecting from Edguy on the music video front, but it was actually kinda interesting.

25 Days of Metal Day 8: Non-single song of the Year Nominations #4: Within Temption - "Silver Moonlight"

Rating: ?/10 Screaming at the walls of fire But I'm still running free In the silver moonlight I can't breathe Look, this album has too many good songs that weren't released as singles, I can't just pick one, this song is also amazing, it's really simple, but uses the contrast between Sharon's vocals and death growls well and I love the whoaaaaaaa almost as much as highlander.

25 Days of Metal Day 7: Non-single song of the Year Nominations #3: Epica - "Unchain Utopia"

Rating: ?/10 We're in a time where all enterprises fall, we should beware of the wolves that haunt us I've always had somewhat mixed feelings about Epica, on one hand I think Simone Simmons is the best active symphonic metal vocalist, however I often don't like their composition and often feel they focus too heavily on death growls, however I feel they struck a really good balance with their album this year and I think this track showcases this very well.

25 Days of Metal Day 6: Non-single song of the Year Nominations #2: Sabaton - "Night Witches"

Rating: ?/10 Undetected, unexpected Wings of glory, tell their story You can never go wrong with some heavy power metal, honestly it's fairly generic, but it's just really really good. The subject is also fairly interesting, the Russian all female 558th Night Bomber Regiment of the Soviet Union in World War II. An excellently written and sung song from an excellently written and sung album.

25 Days of Metal Day 5: Non-single song of the Year Nominations #1: Within Temptation - "Covered by Roses"

Rating: ?/10 Covered by roses Sometimes I question artists' choices in singles, and this is definitely a song that would have made an amazing single. This is a song I can just listen too over and over again and I still love it. I feel the instrumentation is fairly simple and a bit repetitive, Sharon absolutely nails the vocals which solidifies this as one of my favorite songs from this year

25 Days of Metal Day 4: Single of the Year Nominations #4: Hammerfall - "Bushido"

Rating: 7/10 I'm the warrior, I am In the rising sun I stand A really solid song and a good choice for a single from Hammerfall, really showcasing their vocalists skills well, a song about a samurai, honestly I don't have a lot to say about, but it's really solid.

25 Days of Metal Day 3: Single of the Year Nominations #3: Sonata Arctica - "The Wolves Die Young"

Rating: 9/10 I'm gonna make sure the prophecy is undone, find out where those children have run This is definately my favorite song from Sonata Arctica's new album and I think it represents the band and album very well with a focus on vocals and a combination of both the keyboard and guitar in the melody. I think the lyrics speak for themselves. Although I don't think it is intentional, the lyrics really remind me of Game of Thrones. I really like the instrumentation and the vocals in the chorus in particular. I really don't like the music video for this song but you can easily find it on youtube if you want to. Overall, this is probably my favorite Sonata Arctica song in quite a while.

25 Days of Metal Day 2: Single of the Year Nominations #2: Sabaton - "Resist and Bite"

Rating: 8/10 And we run with a lonely heart And we run for this killing love This song was one of the songs off this album that immediately caught my attention when I first heard this album, the guitar riff playing throughout this song is so amazing. As with all Sabaton songs, this song is about a historical person, group, or battle. This one is about NChasseurs Ardennais, a battalion that fought at the Battle of Belgium in World War II.

25 Days of Metal Day 1: Single of the Year Nominations #1: Within Temptation - "And We Run" ft. Xzibit

Rating: 8/10 And we run with a lonely heart And we run for this killing love I'm back with 25 days of metal counting down to Christmas and doing awards in five categories. Best single, best non-single track, best music video, best album, and finally best song. The first 16 days I will announce and review the my four nominations for the first four categories, days 21-24 I will announce the winners for the first four categories, the 17th to the 20th I will announce the winners for those categories and on the last five days I will count down my top 5 songs of the year. I will keep the scores hidden for these songs until I announce the winners so I don't spoil the results early. Enjoy 25 days of NOTHING BUT METAL!!! Anyways, on to the review. The singles for this album are a bit awkward since half of them were released before the album at the end of 2013, and the other half were released after the album in 2014, of the 2014 singles, musically this one is my favorite. The contrast between Within Temptation's vocalist Sharon den Adel and American rapper Xzibit make a unique symphonic metal track that I find amazing.

Download Festival - Friday: June 13, 2014

Back in June this year, I went to Download Festival (one of the largest and best rock/metal festivals in the U.K.) as my graduation present. And I thought I might do a review of my experience by day, with some of my favorite performances*. I know it was months ago, but I'm slow at getting things done.
*full lineup.
On Friday of the festival I looked around at the different stages and was at the main stage for Black Label Society, Within Temptation, Rob Zombie, and Avenged Sevenfold.

Within Temptation

This is the first band I really knew before attending and so obviously one that would peak my interest. They were the second to last band on the main stage before the headliner, and played set that lasted around an hour. I only knew one song by this Dutch metal band, but after seeing them, I would really like to get to know them better. While vocalist, Sharon den Adel did not have quite as much energy as the frontmen of some of my favorite live acts, she did have a powerful voice, which is definitely something to appreciate from a female in rock. The song "Our Solemn Hour" was one that stayed in my mind long after the show (probably has something to the Latin chant). It's a really neat symphonic metal track off the band's fourth album The Heart of Everything, and has a full, steady beat.

The main stage headliner the first night was American metal band A7X who are not new to this blog. Now, I am not usually the one to review their stuff, but I have enjoyed listening to them since even before the festival. I was quite excited to see this group, and I was not disappointed. The played a set that lasted about two hours (including the encore) that was full of fire (literally) and heavy metal. Their new drummer (RIP the Rev) Arin Ilejay did a pretty darn good job, even with the old songs' complicated and epic beats. Synyster Gates had some beautiful guitar solos that night, along with his song "So Far Away" that vocalist M. Shadows dedicated to their fallen bandmate and friend. The songs I have here are the first single and title song of their newest album Hail to the King (one I think encompasses the album pretty well), as well as "This Means War" also from that album (this song was stuck in my head for days after). Their sixth studio release came out August 2013, and was the first with Ilejay on the drums. Although he is capable of tougher beats, the band wanted to strip down music some, but it still sounds fantastically epic.

Avenged Sevenfold

Man with a Mission ft. Takuma - "Database"

Rating: 8/10 With the second season beginning and keeping this epic OP I thought now would be a good time to post this song. Log Horizon is one of my favorite anime and this song is certainly part of the reason why. An interesting rock song combining some hip-hop elements along with combining English and Japanese makes a really interesting song and I love it. Interestingly the OP version has different singing that the full version. Also unfortunately the normal version of the second OP version isn't on youtube so I included the preview for it which is still excellent. Hype song, hype anime, looking forward to the rest of Log Horizon and this song every week.

Nightwish - "The Kinslayer"

Rating: 7/10 This is one of my favorite examples of classic Nightwish from Wishmaster which was their heaviest album, this a great example of that style with the power metalesque instrumentation but given the symphonic twist with the keyboard and Tarja's vocals. A really interesting example, quite possibly the song that best exemplifies symphonic power metal as a genre. This is definitely one a song that I didn't like as much when I first heard it but it has grown on me a lot over time.

Mom's All Star Spaghetti (Smash Mouth x Eminem)

Rating: 8/10 This mashup is one of the strangest things I have ever, but I love it! Eminem with the beat of All Star by Smash Mouth with spaghetti thrown in very cleverly to completely change the meaning of the original song. A really hilarious concept executed excellently, probably my favorite mashup. Anyways, after today, back to normal songs, which probably means more drop the vocaloid unless anyone else decides to post since that is what I've been listing to recently.

Slamifinal Episode (Quad City DJs x Pokemon Colosseum x Snoop Dogg)

Rating: 8/10 I did a post on the original song from Pokemon colosseum and it just so happens we have it here again in my favorite space jam remix! Not only does this mashup manage to mash up three very different songs, it does so extremely well and seamlessly. Quite excellent. Makes sure to come back tomorrow for the finale of my week of mashups!

Weed Circulation (Monogatari Series x Snoop Dogg)

Rating: 8/10 Whoops, I appear to have been caught up in a temporal paradox, and missed posting for a week, well mashup week resumes now. This song is what when you take one of the best anime OPs of all time and add Snoop Dogg. It's surprisingly good and the surprisingly high quality video really makes this mashup come together for me. I was originally going to save this mashup for April 20th, but since I'm doing a week of mashups, here it is now. Also before I go, have a bonus Renai Circulation mashup that I'm also quite fond of.

Slam of the North Star (Fist of the North Star x Quad City DJs)

Rating: 8/10 As I said yesterday, I've been to a lot of interesting parts of the internet, another one of my favorites is dedicated to mashing up various songs with quite possibly the dumbest song I have ever listened to. The theme song for 1996 movie Space Jam. This song has become somewhat of a meme inspiring many mashups and the indie RPG Barkley, Shut Up & Jam: Gaiden. This particular mashup is one of my personal favorites mashing up the Space Jam with the OP for the anime Fist of the North Star. If you look around, you can probably find this song mashed up with just about anything. If you thought this was weird, the next three days will be my top 3 weirdest mashups that are actually good, look forward to it!

Not a Train (Eminem x Thomas the Tank Engine)

Rating: 6/10 I've been to a lot of interested parts of the internet, but quite possibly the weirdest one I have run into is a community dedicated to mashing up rap songs with the Thomas the Tank engine theme, and surprisingly it actually works really well. Not much else to say, just this is a thing that exists, and there is plenty more if you look around.

Thunder Busters (AC/DC x Ghostbusters)

Rating: 7/10 Waxaudio is one of biggest rock/metal mashup artist that I know of, some of his stuff is really interesting and this is definitely one of those. It works surprisingly well and if you like this I would highly recommend checking out some of his other stuff on his youtube channel, soundcloud stream, and his website.

In the Darkness (Fall Out Boy x Imagine Dragons)

Rating: 8/10 Starting of my week of mashups, probably my favorite mashup of normal music, My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark by Fall Out Boy mashed up with Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. It probably helps that I already love both of these songs, but they fit excellently and the mashup artist did a great job putting this together. Just a fair warning, this is as normal as it's going to get, each song this week will be weirder and weirder until we get to some, admittedly hilarious, but weird stuff.

GUMI - "The Trooper" (Iron Maider cover)

Rating: 8/10 We hurdle bodies that lay on the ground, and the Russians fire another round, we get so near yet so far away, we won't live to fight another day. From that song yesterday I ended up finding more Vocaloid covers of other genres and this one it great. It's so silly hearing Vocaloids singing metal about battle and war, but it works surprisingly well. I would totally recommend checking out the other covers by these guys too, they are also excellent. Anyways, after this I'll leave off the Vocaloid stuff for a bit and leave it to gwr. Next week I'm going to be doing a series of mashups, one for each day next week, varying from serious awesome mashups to silly, really dumb ones. Look forward to it!

Megurine Luka - "Boyz n the Hood" (Eazy-E cover)

Rating: 6/10 Knowin' Nutin In Life But To Be Legit', Dont Quote Me Boy Coz I Aint Said Shit Vocaloid raps are not particularly common, let alone Vocaloid covers of gangsta raps. This is one of the songs for the WTF did I just listen to list, however it is extremely hilarious. One of my friends shared this with me and I just had to pass it on. Seriously, who thinks, you know I need to hear my Vocaloids sing? Gangsta rap. Well, someone did it and this is the result, honestly it's not bad, but really weird and funny.

Kagamine Rin & Len - "Remote Control"

Rating: 8/10 L R L R STOP & Dash & UP & TALK B B A B S(tart) This is one of my favorite vocaloid songs, it's a bit of an interesting song, but it works. Honestly I don't find the lyrics that interesting, but that's ok because they are in Japanese and I love the instrumentation, rhythm, and use of the duet vocals and this is a song that really makes me want to jump up and dance. It's a bit hard to define a genre for this song, it's got elements of electronic and pop among other things. I don't really have a lot to say about it, but I really like this song. Finally, have a bonus hilarious and awesome project Diva music video.

Iron Maiden - The Apparation

Rating: 8/10 Here I am, can't you see me, passing through, on my way, to a place I'd been to only in my dreams... before This is an interesting song, Iron Maiden was the band that got me into metal a while ago and even more specifically this was the first metal album I ever heard, for a while I was really into Iron Maiden, but then I stopped liking them as much. Now just recently I've started listening to them again and I'm in love with Bruce Dickenson's vocals again. Anyways, this song is interesting, it tells the story of a man talking with an apparition or ghost of some sort, implied to be someone recently deceased and about to pass on. The apparition offers philosophical and religious advice. It asks a lot of interesting questions and I really like it and honestly it offers some surprisingly good life advice.

Darren Korb - "Setting Sail, Coming Home"

Rating: 9/10 Continuing from yesterday, more of my favorite VGM, there is nobody better in the world at composing VGM than Darren Korb. Darren Korb composed the soundtracks for Bastion and Transistor, in my opinion the two best video game soundtracks of all time. This song is the ending/credits song for the main ending of Bastion, and it is absolutely amazing. Although most of the soundtrack is instrumental, this song is one of the four songs which features vocals, and both the lyrical and musical composition of this song are exceptional, both in and out of the context of the game. The lyrics don't particularly make sense out of context from the game, but even so I think anyone can appreciate how beatiful this song is at the end of a beautiful video game. If anyone reading this has not played Bastion before, even if you don't play very many video games, you should seriously consider playing it. It is my favorite game of all time and is very much worth your time.

Tsukasa Tawada - "Semifinal Battle"

Rating: 8/10 Time for a short run of some songs from my favorite video game soundtracks. Starting off with some serious nostalgia, the first, and to this date still my favorite, Pokemon game, Pokemon Colosseum. The entire soundtrack is excellent, as everything I have found by Tsukasa Tawada. In general the soundtrack has this interesting rock/jazz fusion stuff going on, although it is less evident in this song than in others. Definitely this one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite soundtracks and favorite games of all time.

Captain Dan and the Scruvey Crew - "Sea Monsters"

Rating: 7/10 What we gonna do with sea monsters? We're gonna kill em an grill em, we be the nautical mobsters! Quick warning, this video contains large amounts of cartoon blood and violence, if you don't want that, find a different video or listen to the song elsewhere, anyways, on with the review. Arr, I posted my favorite Captain Dan and the Scruvey Crew song, Blackbeard's Treasure, a while ago and I think it's time to return to my favorite authentic pirate hiphop with another one of my favorites. Sea Monsters tells the exploits of Captain Dan as sails the oceans defeating the world's sea monsters and similarly to the other song by them I posted, I find it absolutely hilarious.

The Coopers - "Summer's Child" (Free Download)

Rating: 7/10 Humble ears learn their lesson... from birds that sang all along Summer's Child just aches of dancing on the beach and driving along the sunset with lilting fingers strumming on chords. Sharp drums offset this track from the usual lullaby, and give it a near-ska vibe. This choral tune by The Coopers is best sung with friends.

Sabaton - "Primo Victoria"

Rating: 8/10 On the 6th of June, on the shores of western Europe, 1944, D-day upon us. Back to my specialty, time for one of my favorite power metal bands SABATON! Sabaton is what you get when a group of Swedish military history lovers make a power metal band, a really, really good power metal band. Their songs are all about battles, people, and events from various wars throughout history. They tend to focus on more modern wars, particularly World Wars 1 and 2. This particular song if you can't figure out from the lyrics, is based on D-day, the allied invasion of France on June 6, 1944. This is one of their better songs, but definitely not one of the absolute best and it still is amazing. Expect more Sabaton coming from me in the future because they are amazing.

WEKEED - "R A R E" (Free Download)

Rating: 5/10 Finding our way... running through a new night WEKEED is the epitome of smooth electro, with deep trance vibes and a head bobbing beat to boot. Need to relax to some wavy synths and vocal samples? Pick it up here.

Meg & Dia - "Monster (DotEXE Remix)"

Rating: 6/10 Monster, how should I feel? Creatures lie here, looking through the window I'm not really the biggest fan of dubstep, but I found this song while playing the rhythm game osu! and thought it was alright, I haven't heard the original but I think this remix is pretty solid.

Cœur de Pirate - "Hôtel Amour"

Rating: 6/10 But sleep, at least this night...And dream of the infinite Working recently to build the soundtracks to the game Child of Light and Canadian TV show Trauma, Cœur de Pirate echoes soulfully in her older work, Blonde. Check it out.

ONE OK ROCK - "Re:make"

Rating: 7/10 I can't believe in you, I see you 'nother day, ‘nother way This song doesn't really stand out to me as being amazing in any particular way, but I quite like it. It's a really solid J-Rock track that I discovered a while ago. The chorus is really catchy and the vocalist for these guys is quite good, overall, a song worth hearing, but not anything too insane.

Klaypex - "1941" (feat. Virian)

Rating: 6/10 I'll bring the cadillac if you bring the rum... I wanna party like it's 1941 Released this past week, Klaypex's Anything Goes boasts quite a variety of styles, from big room house to electro swing, as exemplified in this track. This duo has gained a large following from their first major release's feature on several viral videos, but this new collection should ensure they retain their audience. Happy listening!

ArchonofFail's Top 10 Touhou Original Songs #1!

Rating: 8/10 Solar Sect of Mystic Wisdom ~ Nuclear Fusion. Holy shit this song, a final boss theme to end all final boss themes. The intro just building up and building up until the amazing chorus, I cannot get enough of this song it's so great! Well, that concludes my top 10 Touhou original songs, I might return to Touhou and do an honorable mentions post, but for now, on to other amazing music! Link to #2 Link to #3 Link to #4 Link to #5 Link to #6 Link to #7 Link to #8 Link to #9 Link to #10

ArchonofFail's Top 10 Touhou Original Songs #2

Rating: 8/10 Whooooops, looks like I missed a bit more than a day this time, anyways, nearly done with the list! I am such a huge fan of this song, I don't really have much to say besides that. !!Warning!! tomorrow's post, will be epic, make sure to come back for it! Link to #3 Link to #4 Link to #5 Link to #6 Link to #7 Link to #8 Link to #9 Link to #10

Arty - "Up All Night" (Nev Cover)

Rating: 5/10 There's an angel beside saying things just ain't right, but I'm no good at listening There's a really special feeling when you see someone take a great tune, skillfully cover it, and have a brilliant time doing so. This entire anthem bursts out as fun, especially when watching the dexterity of that hand-over-hand motion. You can see the original here.

Stromae - "Papaoutai"

Rating: 7/10 Sans même devoir lui parler....Il sait ce qui ne va pas. A son calls out to his absentee father, begging for understanding and interaction. Stromae captures this call beautifully in this electronic/piano studded piece with a driving beat and choral backing, not too mention the physical manifestation of an empty husk present in the accompanying video.

Linkin Park - The Hunting Party

Warning: this is a long track-by-track review. Rating: 9/10

A little less than a week ago on June 17, Linkin Park dropped their sixth studio album, probably their heaviest to date. After their booming debut Hybrid Theory, similar sophomore release Meteora, alternative rock Minutes to Midnight, stylistically different concept record A Thousand Suns, and last album Living Things that combined everything they had ever done, the band returned to their roots from even before 1999 with influences like Helmet, the Refused, and At the Drive-In. Going into the studio about a year earlier, emcee Mike Shinoda said he brought in some demos with a more alternative style that would satisfy pop radio, but came to a point where he hated it and trashed those, diving into the aggressive sound he felt is missing from current rock music. We wanted to write music that gets that 17-year-old who was never thinking about guitars to go, "I want play guitar because of that song!" -Chester Bennington (vocalist)

The record bangs off with an opener that shocks anyone who has heard LP’s last three albums. No more short instrumental intros; “Keys to the Kingdom” begins with Bennington’s distorted screams wailing about “fighting in futility” and sails smoothly into hard, and fast-paced drums that continue throughout the record. Following loud guitars, Shinoda graces the track with his low, melodic voice between choruses before ripping out a verse to remind everyone of his rapping skills. The second song is no disappointment either with its heavy intro Shinoda’s unforgiving rap that leads into Page Hamilton of Helmet on the chorus. “All For Nothing” even brings in their electronica influence with small drops in the second verse, and ends on a quiter note before their heavy first single “Guilty All the Same”. Before any vocals appear, it holds about a minute and a half of guitar, drums, piano, and bass that show everyone Linkin Park is back, and then Bennington yells out the verses and choruses with heated accusations. Enter legendary artist Rakim to spit a rap relevant to the whole idea of the album on the bridge. After the final chorus, Delson and Rob Bourdon finish the song as hard as it started. “The Summoning” is the short and strange instrumental that gives the listener’s ear a break before slamming it with “War”, a track with so much anger not only can you hear it in Bennington’s screams, but the instruments as well. Leading off with “Lies Greed Misery"-like drums, “Wastelands” is the third single of the album. Shinoda blasts you with a fearless rap on the verses, while Bennington yells the chorus in a similar manner as “Guilty All the Same”. Taking a break from the heaviness (sort of) with the second single “Until It’s Gone”, Bennington displays his incredible voice with singing reminiscent of “Burn It Down". The Hunting Party then hits you with an almost heavy metal track that is the fourth single. “Rebellion” is layed out with Shinoda’s deep voice singing the verse and Bennington on the pre-chorus and a blending of vocals for the chorus and screams on the bridge, all the while backed with Daron Malakian of System of a Down on guitar. “Mark the Graves” begins soft, but enters some more loud guitar by Delson that cuts out when Bennington’s smooth vocals come in with Shinoda on the harmonies. Breaking from the loudness, there is the absolutely beautiful instrumental “Drawbar” that features Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine before going into the other softest song on the record and fifth single “Final Masquerade” that is another glowing example of Bennington’s incredible singing voice. The final track is a little like the first in that it has many different ideas used in the band. “A Line in the Sand” starts simply with quiet vocals sung by Shinoda before hitting off like the rest of the tracks with the guitars, drums, and screams of Bennington. Lasting approximately six and a half minutes, it is the epitome of The Hunting Party and Linkin Park, combining nearly everything they have ever done.
Overall, it is one of the best records this “nu-metal”, alternative rock band of six has put out (not just my opinion either). Brad Delson has finally come out of his shell to show the world that he is truly a guitarist worth remembering and Rob Bourdon developed his drumming skills well over what we have seen in the past. Even the quieter songs of the album hold heavy riffs that make them fit perfectly with such a hard collection. Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington demonstrate their ability to not only seamlessly flow between each other’s vocals, but also to blend their voices into one. It is an amazing piece of work by the band and all you that ran off at their last three releases, I suggest you at least check out this record; Linkin Park wanted loud and aggressive, and that is what they made.

ArchonofFail's Top 10 Touhou Original Songs #3

Rating: 8/10 Whoops, looks like I missed a day, I guess #1 will be coming next Monday, anyways, #3, Bloom Nobly Ink-Black Cherry Blossoms ~ Border of Life, right from the start this song just sounds like an epic final boss theme. This song is just so good and also has a super badass name. Link to #4 Link to #5 Link to #6 Link to #7 Link to #8 Link to #9 Link to #10

ArchonofFail's Top 10 Touhou Original Songs #4

Rating: 8/10 Now that we have reached the top four, we are into my absolute favorite Touhou songs. These final four songs really stand out from the others to me as being absolutely amazing. Starting off, Native Faith. Earlier we had Candid Friend which I consider a happy upbeat song, but this song takes the cake for being happy and upbeat. I really don't have much else to say about it except that it is amazing. Link to #5 Link to #6 Link to #7 Link to #8 Link to #9 Link to #10

ArchonofFail's Top 10 Touhou Original Songs #5

Rating: 7/10 This song, Flight in the Bamboo Cutter ~ Lunatic Princess, while a great song on it's own is the king of being remixes. I am convinced that is actually impossible to make a bad remix of this song. Here are some of my favorite remixes of this amazing song. Link to #6 Link to #7 Link to #8 Link to #9 Link to #10

ArchonofFail's Top 10 Touhou Original Songs #6

Rating: 7/10 The next two song are songs that, while amazing on their own, are made even more awesome for me because they have awesome remixes. First off, Flowering Night, which is another song that makes a really catchy exciting boss battle theme. It has also spawned this somewhat famous remix which is amazing and just exemplifies what makes the song good. Link to #7 Link to #8 Link to #9 Link to #10

ArchonofFail's Top 10 Touhou Original Songs #7

Rating: 7/10 Time for #7, Reverse Ideology. Not only does it have an awesome name, it is really catchy and sounds like an epic boss theme, which it is. This and most of the remaining song on this list just get me pumped up for an epic boss. This song recently came onto my radar because just a week ago Touhou 14.3 was released featuring Seija Kijin as the main character who's theme this is. Although it is only used for a few tutorial levels, it got me thinking about this song and remembering how awesome it was. Link to #8 Link to #9 Link to #10

Kogicon's Summer Playlist!

Use this smooth and slightly eccentric mix of summer songs to set off your vacation. Enjoy :)

ArchonofFail's Top 10 Touhou Original Songs #8

Rating: 7/10 For #8 on this list, a very special song for me. Akutagawa Ryuunosuke's "Kappa" ~ Candid Friend, the boss theme for my favorite Touhou character, Nitori Kawashiro. This song is really happy and relaxing to listen to and, although it is a bit repetitive, it is really awesome throughout. Definitely one of my favorites and a great song to listen to if you want to relax. Unfortunately it is not one of the more popular songs to remix and there aren't a ton of great remixes out there, but if you look you can find them. Link to #9 Link to #10

ArchonofFail's Top 10 Touhou Original Songs #9

Rating: 6/10 And now for #9 Maiden's Capriccio ~ Dream Battle, this one I like particularly because of the impressive keyboard background throughout the song playing all sorts of amazing melodies. Also the chorus is really good too. Although entirely computer generated, the piano patters are just so impressive to me putting this song at a solid #9 on my list. Link to #10

ArchonofFail's Top 10 Touhou Original Songs #10

Rating: 6/10 This is something I have wanted to do for a while, having posted several of my favorite Touhou song remixes, here are my top 10 favorite Touhou original songs, prepare for epic Japanese video game music glory! Starting off with #10, Doll Judgement ~ The Girl Who Played with People's Shapes. This song is down at #10 on the list because of the amazing chorus. The rest of the song is fairly average I feel but wow that chorus is amazing. Also this song has spawned numerous amazing remixes including one of the most famous Touhou remixes of all time which in an of itself has many hilarious remixes.

Demetori - "上海紅茶館 ～ Chinese Tea"

Rating: 8/10 Another Touhou metal song, this one is much slower than the last one I posted, but is still distinctly metal. Demetori is one the few groups that I like just about every song of theirs and this is one of my absolute favorite's of theirs. Some really sweet instrumental metal.